World Entering Era Of Permanent Food Crisis, With Prices To Double Over next 20 Years
Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 06:54PM 
By Neev Arnell [Naturel News]
The average price of staple foods will more than double in the next 20 years, Oxfam warns. The world is entering an era of permanent food crisis, which is likely to be accompanied by political unrest, and the situation will lead to an unprecedented reversal in human development, it said. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme...)
International prices of staples such as maize could rise by as much as 180 percent by 2030, according to research published last week.
The Oxfam report comes following the UN warning in May that food prices are likely to hit new highs in the next few weeks, triggering riots and unrest in developing countries.
The number of hungry people globally is increasing rapidly as food production lags behind demand. This comes following decades of steady decline in global hunger rates.
"The high-price situation is not something that's just going to vanish over one season," Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior economist at the Rome-based United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, said in an interview before the index was released. "The fundamentals are still what they are, a very tight situation for almost all commodities."
The average global price of cereals jumped by 71 percent in April. Milk futures climbed by 0.8 percent in Chicago in May, while corn more than doubled in the past 12 months on speculation that more planting in the U.S., the world's largest grower, will not be able to replenish global stocks. Also, wheat shot up by 72 percent due to crops ruined by flooding in Canada and Australia and reduced harvests due to drought in Russia and Europe. (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...)
The World Bank warned last June that 44 million people have now fallen below the poverty line due to rising food prices. And a combination of factors have set the stage for an increase in deep poverty, including depleting natural resources, a global scramble for land and water, the rush to turn food into biofuels, a growing global population, climate change and changing diets.
"We are sleepwalking towards an age of avoidable crisis," Oxfam's chief executive, Barbara Stocking, said. "One in seven people on the planet go hungry every day despite the fact that the world is capable of feeding everyone. The food system must be overhauled."
Oxfam called on the Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, and other leaders to agree to new rules governing food markets.
Oxfam wants greater regulation of commodities markets to contain volatility in prices and an urgent increase in global food reserves, including by ending the biofuels policies of western governments that divert food to fuel for cars. The agency also attacked excessive corporate concentration in the food sector, particularly in grain trading and in seed and agrochemicals.
Reader Comments (7)
I appreciate for your post! I hope you will keep it on. I also want to make friends with you and share my favorite athletic bags to you. I am focus on you.
Is this views appropriate? This query has been argued for an extended time. replica cartier watch.As far as I'm involved, in some extent, well-known manufacturers might be the particular trendsetters in fashion. That is due to the fact you'll find a number of intellectual, creative along with best designersoperating for sought-after manufacturers.replica hublot watches
Purchase a replica Rolex Submariner watch is very simple, just the Internet, find a decent store and place your order,
From a cost point of view, these replica rolex Datejust watches can save you a lot of money, can be used for other beneficial investment.
Purchase a copy of the replica rolex Day Date watch, although it may not be expensive, the real thing, it does not mean you should throw away hundreds of dollars, it is not what you want.
Needs to find a good copy of the replica rolex Yacht Master watch bit of research and time, but all this is worth it, when you find something you like, you like the price.
Articles written truly attractive, I due for that fact this unique original, presume your individual future supply. I like an internet site, the previously known swiss replica watches, replica tag heuer grand carrera watches, replica rolex gmt as well as replica rolex explorer, their own quality furthermore style, you have been incredible, you'll need them.Unless you know everything you choose, I could tell one to choose wathes.
warehouse 13 dvd release date Christmas is coming, combine with great happiness and long-awaited reunion…This is a festival for all of us to enjoy our life, to appreciate this year’s harvest and growth, to share all the happiness and bitters with our family, our friends. Let`s write that letter we thought of writing "one of these days", today. In order to share this happiest time in a year, our website takes the role as Santa to send you the most sincere blessing and the most meaningful gift…Come to http://www.dvdbestonline.com to collect what you want, and we’ll send them to your hands with totally free shipping. the listener season 1
Excellent stuff from you, man I’ve read your things before and you are just too awesome. I adore what you have got right here. You make it entertaining and you still manage to keep it smart. This is truly a great blog thanks for sharing.Houston Home Security
Is probably aware of her own words is somewhat similar to neuropathy of the madness, so the name of the captain and quickly added: north face jackets on sale "the north face that is true, do not believe that the north face down so you can see the north face store their helmet camera to record the screen, but the north face think that guy is not jumping past, locations The horse seems to run in the air, or flying, anyway locations can be within a certain time to leave the ground motion. the north face is how do not know locations, but the locations really do. "